The balloting process for this year's Oscars went off without a hitch, despite the imposition of an early deadline, according to Academy Awards organisers.

There had been fears that fewer members would return their voting forms in time because of the shortened period between screenings and decision time, caused by the ceremony moving to an earlier date. The Oscars will take place in Los Angeles on February 29 this year, a move from late March in previous years.

However, accountancy firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, which is overseeing the ballot, said the process was "running normally across the board", despite the changes.

Concerns that the contribution of critics in the UK and Europe might be diminished due to the deadline falling in the period over the Christmas break, when there are more disruptions in mail services, also proved unfounded.